Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1962)

take over ultimate operation and financing of MPATI themselves. MPATI plans expansion of service to wider area with more channels upon FCC approval. RCA sues Philco, says firm blocked color tv RCA has charged Philco Corp. and its new owner, Ford Motor Co., with conspiring to delay public acceptance of color tv in filing $174 million triple damage antitrust suit against Philadelphia electronics and appliance manufacturer and Ford. Philco officials termed charge without foundation. Suit claims Philco has blocked and restrained market for color tv since 1954 in conspiracy with other, unnamed companies, to maintain Philco's position in black-and-white tv set sales and to permit Philco to develop its own "Apple" color tv receiver. Conspiracy was discovered, RCA says, during pre-trial examination in preparation for trial of Philco's original $150 million antitrust suit against RCA, GE, AT&T and others. In this 1957 suit, Philco claims RCA and others conspired to apportion electronics and communications business among themselves. RCA suit actually was ninth counterclaim in Philco suit; in others RCA has asked for over $1 million in back royalties it says is due from Philco. Ford took over Philco late last year through exchange of stock. CBS says NASA favored NBC in releasing film Inter-network squabble developed late last week over release to tv of NASA color film of Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr.,'s Feb. 20 orbital flight. CBS News President Richard S. Salant told CBS-TV affiliates in closedcircuit conference Thursday that NASA informed NBC-TV of release date of film two days before CBS-TV was notified. NBC-TV announced earlier it would show film at 7:30 p.m. EST, Monday (April 9). Mr. Salant told affiliates CBS-TV does not want to let NBC-TV have show all to itself and does not want ta> air it after NBC-TV, so CBS-TV will schedule it at NASA release time of 6 p.m. EST on same date. NBC-TV officials said network's showing of film will stay where scheduled, at 7:30 p.m., "in color." (CBSTV telecasts only in black and white.) NBC-TV showing will be sponsored by Gulf Oil Corp. through Young & Rubicam. ABC-TV will use NASA film only on regularly scheduled newscasts. 'White Paper' theft Telecast of last episode of NBC-TV's White Paper series may be delayed for some time as result of robbery of several rolls of silent film. NBC spokesman said 23 100-foot rolls of negative and print were stolen when truck delivering film from processor made stop at 49th Street at Seventh Avenue in New York. Episode, scheduled for May 18, was filmed in Sicily and concerned that island and its problems. Senators plan strategy for federal ownership Small band of liberal senators favoring government ownership of proposed communications satellite corporation are said to have formed strategy they feel will force government to create, own and operate space system. They know they don't have votes to win approval of government-ownership bill (S 2890) sponsored by Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn.) and five other senators. But they are confident they have enough support in Senate to talk administration's private ownership bill (S 2814) to death for this congressional session. In that event, they feel certain, administration, eager for U. S. to be first in this field, will be compelled to establish government-owned system without waiting for Congress to act. In their view, congressional action is needed only if government is to "give" space communications to private corporation. Clearance of p.a. shows 3 in 4, study indicates One-month study of network public affairs program clearances on tv stations showed turndowns roughly one in four. Study, conducted by Columbia U.'s Graduate School of Journalism, is being published in spring issue of Columbia Journalism Review. Editors used programs "advertised" by Television Information Office and telecast during last January. Three networks supplied information on stations carrying 14 shows involved. As reported over weekend by Columbia: in total of about 2,000 occasions when stations were asked to clear time, 500 did not; few stations did carry all programs offered but others turned down as many as 8 out of 9; variations from network to network not as wide as from program to program, and as expected sustaining shows were least widely accepted; news-conference pro grams were seen spottily "even in large cities." Editors found that stations don't deliberately bar information programs but many fail to carry as many as they would seem financially able to carry. One program — Projection '62 on NBCTV — had 90% acceptance from stations to which it was offered. Colorado theatre group forms against pay tv Joint Committee Against Toll Tv announces Colorado theatre exhibitors have organized themselves into Colorado Committee Against Toll Tv to oppose application of Teleglobe System for pay tv on KTVR (TV) Denver (Broadcasting, April 2). Colorado committee has retained Marcus Cohn of Cohn & Marks, Washington, D. C, to file protest with FCC and request hearing against Teleglobe application for three-year test. Committee also will move at state and local level to oppose use by Teleglobe of telephone wires of Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co., local AT&T subsidiary, for sound portion of pay tv broadcasts. Theatre exhibitors in Connecticut and Arkansas are pressing similar moves to block pay tv tests by RKO General Phonovision and Paramount-Telemeter, respectively. Sillerman to Schwimmer Michael M. Sillerman, former partner and executive vice president in charge of sales for Programs for Television Inc., has been named sales manager of Walter Schwimmer Inc. He will have headquarters in New York. Earlier, he helped form Television Programs of America and before that was with Ziv-Tv. WAIP sold: $92,500 WAIP Prichard, Ala., has been sold by Prichard Broadcasting Co. (G. V. Dismukes, president) for $92,500 to Charles Holt and Robert M. Robinson, owners of WHHY Montgomery, Ala., subject to FCC approval. Mr. Holt also owns WHSY Hattiesburg and WHNY McComb, both Mississippi. Broker: Blackburn & Co. Johnson buys Skelton S. C. Johnson & Son (Johnson's Wax), alternate sponsor of Red Skelton Show for seven years, has signed for part sponsorship of new full-hour Skelton program starting this fall on CBSTV in Tuesday 9 p.m. spot. Agency for purchase was Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago. 10 BROADCASTING, April 9, 1962